ALL IN THE FAMILY: Designer Lauren Nicole
Interior Designer, Wife, Mother, Speaker, TV Segment Specialist, and Author, Lauren Nicole took a break from her busy schedule to talk to us about her personal design journey and share some of her amazing room designs.
Your mother was a decorator, did she inspire you to take the same path in your career?
Lauren Nicole: I grew up in the world of interior design as my Mother, Linda Riddiough, started her design business when I was just two years old. I distinctly remember being toted along on client meetings, client installations, and even to High Point Market. I would go to her studio after school and flip through wallpaper and fabric books.
While I was always rearranging my room and took everything out of my dresser and closet to reorganize every week, I never thought that my OCD tendencies would lead me to a career in interior design! I was a psychology major, and when I graduated from the College of Charleston I enrolled in graduate school, but after an unfortunate car accident that got me thinking about my future, I decided to put my type A skills to the test and started my own interior design business. I knew I wanted to work for myself, that is all I knew since my parents were both entrepreneurs for most of my life, I knew I could put a style together, and I knew I had the best teacher and role model that anyone could ever ask for in my Mom.
What have you learned along the way in the business that you find to be most important?
Lauren Nicole: In the design world- I LISTEN, and yes, this is a particular skill. I am complimented on it all of the time!
What are some of your favorite color choices?
Lauren Nicole: My favorite color is Kelly green. I love to incorporate little hints of it throughout a room.
What trends are you seeing for fall?
Lauren Nicole: I am loving lucite in accessories, on legs of furniture but specifically in my lighting fixtures as witnessed in several of my latest projects. It’s a trend that is continuing to go strong. It is undoubtedly an updated style but not so specific to one fashion or another that it will be outdated anytime soon. It has a crisp and luxurious feel and can be used in a variety of ways so that it can flow throughout a home.
The kitchen renovation in my Lake Norman project boasts three large lucite Crystorama pendants over the kitchen island, and I could not love them enough! They offer style and luxury while maintaining a light and airy feel to the room. The kitchen does not get a ton of natural light, so these fixtures needed to provide excellent light. The island is quite massive, so filling the space without taking away from the rest of the room was a must.
Why is lighting so important in your design?
Lauren Nicole: When I design a space, lighting is always at the top of my list to address. A lighting fixture is a perfect opportunity to create eye candy and pull together a variety of textural elements, finishes, and styles. Scale is first and foremost, and typically people do not go large enough on lighting fixtures, so I always say BIGGER IS BETTER.
What inspires you the most when designing for your clients?
Lauren Nicole: The things that inspire me the most when I am designing are nature, travel, art, and my client's lifestyle. I love projects that allow me the opportunity to improve how my client's live every day and take their breath away with style and functionality. And when I can take their design threshold and push the envelope a bit and wow them in the end, it is always that much sweeter!
What are you doing when you are not designing?
Lauren Nicole: Outside of the design world, I am an accomplished horseback rider and today have the joy of sharing this with my daughters, Finley, 9, and Campbell, 7.
You can follow Lauren Nicole online at:
https://www.laurennicoleinc.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurennicoleinc/
